The Official Medtipster Blog

We have been hearing a lot in the news about MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staph. Aureus).    Everyone of us can be affected by antibiotic resistance, even if we do not take antibiotics.  Antibiotic resistance occurs when antibiotics will no longer work against disease causing bacteria.  These types of resistant infections can result in longer lasting illnesses, more doctors visits or longer hospital stays.  Taking an antibiotic when you have a viral infection will not make you feel better – but it can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Medtipster source: http://drugstorenews.com/story.aspx?id=132803&menuid=333

Stater Bros., a retailer based in Southern California said its offering of free 14-day supplies of selected antibiotics, including refills will continue.

In September 2009, all 28 Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies throughout Southern California began offering a free 14-antibiotics program. Since the program began, thousands of prescriptions have been filled. Due to this overwhelming success, the program will continue its efforts to offer customers access to selected antibiotics.

The free antibiotic program offers eight different classes of antibiotics. Stater Bros. also offers a $4 generic prescription program. Over 300 commonly prescribed medications are $4 for a 30-day supply.

Find Stater Bros. and thousands of other pharmacies offering these and similar discounted generic drugs at www.medtipster.com.

Jason Klein

In a recent blog post on 10/5/09, I made the following comment: “Now the trend appears to be to offer FREE prescriptions. REALLY! We’re all in!”

This comment was in regards to Stater Bros., Albertsons & Meijer pharmacies. These pharmacies offer certain prescriptions for free, such as antibiotics and prenatal vitamins. What I wasn’t doing was offering free prescriptions at medtipster.com.

We don’t actually sell anything, let alone prescriptions on our site. We are a purely informational site that hopes to engage consumers with relevant information for the right reasons, at the right time. If we don’t even sell them, giving them away for free certainly doesn’t fit into our business model. Or does it!?!

I received what felt like a thousand emails from our consumers asking how they could sign up to get their prescriptions for free. GULP!

Whoops! Did I actually imply that this is what we we’re doing and more importantly did that many people actually read my blog post? Apparently so.

As the new president of Medtipster, I certainly couldn’t let that many people down, so I had to think fast.

How do I offer FREE prescriptions to consumers that need them? First step was to engage the pharmacies. There was no way they were going to go for this, but I had to try.

My pitch went something like this: 

Jklein: “Thank you for your time today Mr./Mrs. pharmacy VP. I have an issue. I have thousands of consumers looking for relief on their prescription cost.”

PharmaVP: “Define relief?”

Jklein: “FREE?”

After much laughing, the conversation continued….

Jklein: “Thousands of people have contacted us at  www.medtipster.com looking for pharmacies offering “their” medications at the lowest price. It sounds cliche, but times are tough and people need us now more than ever. What’s the value of  a “bellybutton” walking into your store? We know whom these people are & what drug they’re looking for. Partner with us and I will drive them to your store. 

PharmaVP: “Can you be more specific on the number of people?”

Jklein: “Thousands….”

After a long awkward pause, the conversation continued….

PharmaVP:  “How many FREE prescriptions would you propose our pharmacy give away?”

Jklein: “Up to you. How many “bodies” do you want in your store?”

PharmaVP: “Okay. Let’s give it a go.”

The rest is, as they say, history.

Effective December 1st, 2009 Medtipster (via a partnership with American Sweeps) will be the engine offering Michigan residents access to free medications at select Michigan pharmacies. Consumers will search for their medications & register on medtipster.com. Selected consumers will receive a Medtipster email with a link to a voucher that can be used to redeem their medication at no cost. The voucher will specifically tell enrolled consumers which pharmacy has their selected medication.

This is our beta-test and will be running from December 1st- 31st. The intent for this campaign is to repeat monthly in Michigan, among other states throughout 2010.

Register at www.medtipster.com

So again… “Now the trend appears to be to offer FREE prescriptions. REALLY! We’re all in!”

Thank you for your time, your comments and happy browsing at medtipster.com!

JK

Jason A. Klein
President
Medtipster, LLC.
email: jklein@medtipster.com
web address: www.medtipster.com

Swine Flu for Dummies

With the H1N1 vaccine supply growing, many are still unsure whether or not to be vaccinated.

I have read article after article about pros and cons of receiving the H1N1 Vaccine. Some are waiting in line, scurrying around town, calling and checking daily for the status of the local availability, and some simply don’t want it at all. Regardless of your opinion of action, it’s important to know the facts!

Let’s say, every year for Thanksgiving, my Aunt Judy makes sugar cookies. Every year she adds a yummy topping in the form of the most popular candy that year, like a reese’s peanut butter cup, or mini-snickers. But, this year, there are two candies that are the most popular, M&M’s and gumdrops. So, she made two batches of sugar cookies, one with M&M’s and the other with gumdrops!

That’s a simple analogy to understand what the H1N1 strain is really all about. You see, every year, the vaccine is administered according to what the experts are predicting will infect the population. That particular “strain” is similar to the sugar cookie’s topping, it changes from year to year. This year, however, there are two types of strains predicted to spread, the seasonal flu (we’ll call that the gumdrop sugar cookie) and the H1N1 flu (the M&M sugar cookie).

Medtipster.com is dedicated to bringing you the latest on the availability of both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations, as well as key information for you and your family. We are working hard to make sure our database is second to NONE (we mean that!). We know there are other internet sources of H1N1 vaccine locators, and we are thrilled to know that these sources are working just as hard as we are to keep the public informed. However, upon comparison, our database is up to date, accurate, and contains address, phone number, map location, pricing and even notes from the administering clinic.

Now, if all I’ve done here is strengthen your sweet tooth, there are great resources that will explain the details of the H1N1 virus, how to protect yourself from becoming infected, the symptoms of the illness, etc. I’ve listed some great resources below.

H1N1 Response Center by Microsoft: https://h1n1.cloudapp.net/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

The Lancet: http://www.thelancet.com/H1N1-flu

WWJ Newsradio 950 – Michigan: http://www.wwj.com/pages/5367286.php

PS- Happy Friday the 13^th!

Tylar Masters
Manager of Marketing and Communications
Medtipster, LLC.
email: tmasters@medtipster.com
web address: www.medtipster.com

Nádia - your personal pharmacy cost adviser

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company has partnered with ESI Medical to conduct seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccination clinics in 250 stores in six states until Dec. 23. The company also is offering a “buy one, get one free” deal on flu shots to customers who use their Club Cards to purchase $100 worth of beauty care and health products.

Find your nearest A&P Pharmacy by using medtipster.com

Jason Klein

We at Medtipster have been monitoring the discounted generic programs offered by many of the retail chains for years now. Of course we have, it’s our business. Kroger, Target, Walmart, etc… offer $4.00 30 day supplies and $10.00 90 day supplies… Take it from a “lifer” in the Rx business, THAT’S AN AMAZING PROGRAM! We have several large employers in North Carolina that have instituted managed Rx plans on top of their current PBM / Rx program in an attempt to steer their folks to low cost generics. For more information, please contact us. We are huge fans of you BCBSNC (Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina) & would love to work with you!

Now the trend appears to be to offer FREE prescriptions. REALLY! We’re all in! Meijers in the midwest has been doing this for years and is extremely succesful. Now Stater Bros. & Albertsons are getting in the game. Kudos to you! Our goal is to get prescriptions in the hands of consumers that need them and at the right price. Sounds like that meets our criteria.

Best,

JK

Jason A. Klein
President
Medtipster, LLC.
email: jklein@medtipster.com
web address: www.medtipster.com

Kmart is offering $25 seasonal flu shots through its annual walk-in flu clinics, at more than 900 Kmart Pharmacy stores until October 30. “Due to continuing concern over seasonal flu outbreaks this year, Kmart wants to remind the community that Kmart Pharmacy is a great resource for keeping families healthy this year,” a Kmart Pharmacy official said.

Drug Store News (9/9)
http://drugstorenews.com/story.aspx?id=115257&menuid=333